Hi All, hope you are as well as can be.
My wife & I are self employed in our own very small business. My Mum needs everyday care now, usual age related issues, - mobility, cooking, shopping, cleaning. She has been assessed as not requiring a care package as she was able to make tea & toast in a hospital setting, but it’s never been explained how to move the tea/toast back to her chair while using a Zimmer frame, but I digress.
My wife & I are now going in to about 2-3 hours a day to make sure she is ok, had breakfast , washed, dressed etc, and to take care of any jobs she wants doing.
As we are having to cut back our working hours running our business is it legal and above board for my Mum to pay us directly? She receives attendance allowance at the lower level and will not receive any additional funding such as the self directed care payment.
It was Mums suggestion to pay us to carry out the duties rather than pay an external;/agency for the support.
Grateful for any advice.
Thanks
Mum was entitled to 6 weeks FREE Enablement care after discharge, to make sure she had settled in.
Social Services should do a Needs Assessment for mum to look at how she is managing at home.
You should have had a Carers Assessment looking at your ability to care.
Does mum have over £23,000 in savings (Yes/No).
You need to keep working on your business, and have carers in to do the jobs needed. You are SON NOT SLAVE!
This is the “thin end of the wedge”, mum is going to need more and more help as time goes on, and if you do all of it, then when do you get time for holidays, and what happens if either of you get ill?!
My advice comes after 30+ years of supporting my mum, doing more and more. Then even when I’d just had major cancer surgery everyone thought I could still care for her, when I couldn’t even care for myself!!!
Finally mum accepted paid carers, which she could afford, to do the “basics” you mention, but only when she understood her choice was carers or residential care.
There were always other jobs for me of course, especially as mum had a large bungalow and garden.
Many thanks for your reply, I appreciate your experience in this area and the insights that has given you.
I agree that there should be some care given , especially after a recent fall resulting in a broken hip. She was discharged from NHS care after a couple of weeks having been given the tea & toast level of assessment. The Occ health nurse was determined there was no requirement for a care package.
I know that there is but I am also aware of how my Mum would be with the Council employed care staff (who in my experience when nursing my father in law, were all truly caring wonderful people) especially if the times they can manage don’t suit. We would be able to provide a level of flexibility that would be impossible otherwise.
She has savings over the threshold therefore wouldn’t qualify for any council contribution.
We have looked at agency based carers to cover Holidays and if needs be we would use them for illness cover too. We are happy to take on the carer role, I did it for my father -in-law until his needs exceeded our abilities and I want to do it for my Mum while we are still able to do so.
What I really want to avoid is a legal situation in the future where we should have registered somewhere or declared something and social work/HMRC or whoever is pee’d off at us and creates a drama! I am also her nominated Power of Attorney although this hasn’t been activated as she is still mentally sharp as ever and very capable of making her own decisions.
I can find lots of info about self directed care payments and for family carers but the websites are mostly focussed on what benefits can be claimed or help from the council is available and that doesn’t really answer my concerns.
Hi Andy, given the extra information, I think, just for once there is a simple solution!
The Office of Public Guardian, who oversee people with Power of Attorney, have laid out the government’s position very well. It should apply equally to those without POA. If you go to the OPG website you should find what you are looking for, from memory mum can pay you about 80% of what the going rate is for a carer, and no need to declare it for tax. That is the roughest of rough guides, be sure to look it up properly. I’m dismayed that mum’s assessment was so inadequate!
Many thanks - I will have a look on there.